A desperate producer develops a televised reality production where five girls are invited to spend the night in the Mason house, previously an asylum. Legends claim that the location is haunted by the tortured souls for the women who still inhabit the asylum.

These legends do not stop the contestants. One after the other, when they are named, the leave their chair to adventure into the challenged proposed by the host. They grab a flashlight and headphones to plunge into darkness and still keep contact with the host.

None of them expected what really awaited them but it seems that what is hidden behind the next door, in dark corners of the home or in the basement is not a simple special effects or some sort of trick designed to scare them. Those who take part in the adventure will not necessarily return.

They all head towards their possible demise, trying to convince themselves that they will succeed in obtaining the portion of the million dollars that will be theirs if they can survive the night.

Review

Actors

Plot

Quality

Originality

Somewhat copying on everything that was successful in the horror environment but using a new approach, Hell Asylum dissociates itself from the usual low-budget movie in its own way. Between the sometimes-poor grain of film, the fluctuating sound effects and the unprepared or inexperienced actors we notice a particular attention to detail.

Those seeking a movie to reflect on will be disappointed. It is not a movie that exploits the haunted house, its characters or its ghosts as specific entities. The clichés are very obvious and it is a problem. Furthermore, the actors, the women in particular, did not seem have the chance or the motivation to study their characters in depth or to practice their scenes. They could practically all be described in only two words each.

The murders are rough and violent but surprisingly well thought out. The blood is sometimes pink but, by now, we should be used to this effect because so many movie have experience such technical problems. After all, even if it is a mistake, blood in a color other than red sometimes avoids censorship, however incoherent may it seem.

The succession of scenes is interesting. It is not deprived of errors but a certain effect of static transition (similar to the static effect on television) is overused, hence dissimulating what could have looked odd on screen. The murders, for example, are audacious while being too advanced for the budget. In this situation, the effect used blinds the spectator and helps an incoherent scene pass unnoticed. In addition, the scene assembly is more artistic than what we would usually expect from this style of movie.

The viewer should be surprised on a few occasions. It is a release signed Tempe Entertainment and Full Moon, a new alliance in the world of independent cinema. Danny Draven’s team can be proud of its product.